Vertical storage rack

ABSTRACT

A storage rack including a fixed rod portion, an extendable portion linearly aligned with the fixed rod portion, and a support portion configured to removably attach to the fixed rod portion and provide a supported storage area along the length of the storage rack. A storage system including at least a pair of said storage racks and a shelf member configured to extend between the pair of storage racks.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally related to storage solutions and is more specifically related to a vertical storage rack.

2. Related Art

Conventional storage solutions may come in a variety of configurations, but each configuration is dictated by the specific type of good that can be stored. However, such storage solutions tend to not allow for adequate storage for other goods requiring a completely different storage solution. For example, a free standing book case may provide adequate storage solutions for storing books, DVDs, CDs and other small items that can be easily placed on a small, flat shelf. However, a free standing book case may not provide an adequate storage solution for larger items such as surf boards, skate decks, or snowboards, which require a completely different type of storage solution. If space is limited, the need for separate storage solutions may be disadvantageous.

Further, many storage solutions designed for larger items such as surf boards, skate decks, or snowboards typically require permanent or semi-permanent mounting to a wall or ceiling via screws, nails, or bolts. Such types of permanent or semi-permanent mounting necessarily require putting holes into the wall or ceiling to facilitate. If the wall or ceiling is not owned by the individual wishing to mount the storage solution, the putting holes in the wall or ceiling can be a violation of a rental agreement resulting in eviction or at the very least may result in the individual being held liable for the costs of repairing the wall or ceiling, which may be disadvantageous.

Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that may overcome these or other significant problems found in the conventional systems as described above.

SUMMARY

To solve the problems that have not been addressed by the prior art, a storage rack solution is described herein and comprises a fixed rod portion, an extendable portion linearly aligned with the fixed rod portion, and one or more support portions configured to attach to the fixed rod portion. Storage rack may include a ratchet mechanism to extend and retract the extendable portion. The ratchet mechanism may be configured to be removable from the storage rack. The storage rack may also include a floor engaging portion and/or a ceiling engaging portion. The ceiling engaging portion and/or floor engaging portion may be attached to the storage rack by a pivot piece.

In one embodiment, a storage rack including a fixed rod portion, an extendable portion linearly aligned with the fixed rod portion, and at least one support portion configured to removably attach to the fixed rod portion and provide a supported storage area along the length of the storage rack may be provided.

In another embodiment, A storage system including a first storage rack comprising a first fixed rod portion, an first extendable portion linearly aligned with the first fixed rod portion, and at least one first support portion configured to removably attach to the first fixed rod portion and provide a first supported storage area along the length of the first storage rack; a second storage rack comprising a second fixed rod portion, a second extendable portion linearly aligned with the second fixed rod portion, and at least one second support portion configured to removably attach to the second fixed rod portion and provide a second supported storage area along the length of the second storage rack; and a shelf member configured to extend between the first supported storage area and the second supported storage area may be provided.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and operation of the present invention will be understood from a review of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a storage rack according to a first implementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a ratchet mechanism incorporated into an extendable portion and a floor engaging member of a storage rack according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a ceiling engaging member of a storage rack according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a support portion of a storage rack according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of a hook member provided on a support portion of a storage rack according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example ceiling mounting portion according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7-9 illustrate an example fixed rod portion according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 10A-10D illustrate an example ratchet mechanism according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example floor engaging portion according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate an example fixed rod portion according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate an example ratchet mechanism according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 16-19 illustrate an example support portion according to an embodiment.

FIG. 20 illustrates a storage rack according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 21A-21D illustrate alternative views of a storage rack according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 22-23 illustrate exploded views of a storage rack according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide for storage rack solution comprising a fixed rod portion, an extendable portion linearly aligned with the fixed rod portion, and one or more support portions configured to mount on the fixed rod portion. After reading this description it will become apparent to one skilled in the art how to implement the invention in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, although various embodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope or breadth of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a storage rack according to a first implementation. In the illustrated embodiment, storage rack comprises a fixed rod portion, an extendable portion, and a plurality of support portions. Additionally, the illustrated embodiment also includes a ceiling engaging portion and a floor engaging portion.

In this implementation, the fixed rod portion is formed from a plurality of telescoping pieces of metal tubing having a square cross-section. However, in other implementations, the fixed rod portion may be formed as a single piece of tubing. Additionally, the fixed rod portion is not limited to tubing having a square cross-section, and may be formed with a cross-section having any shape as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the fixed rod portion in the present implementation is formed with a hollow interior, but in other implementations the fixed rod portion may be formed as a solid (i.e. non-hollow) member, or may be formed to have solid (i.e. non-hollow) portions along its length.

The fixed rod portion of the implementation illustrated in FIG. 1 is formed from a steel alloy. However, in other implementations, the fixed rod portion may be formed from other materials including aluminum alloys, resin materials, or any other material as would be chose by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In the illustrated implementation of FIG. 1, the extendable portion is disposed at a lower end of the fixed rod portion between the fixed rod portion and the floor engaging portion. However, in some implementations, the extendable portion may be disposed at an upper end of the fixed rod portion between the fixed rod portion and the ceiling engaging portion. In other implementations, a multiple the extendable portions may be disposed at both the upper and lower ends of the fixed rod portion, or an extendable portion may be provided between a pair of fixed rod portions. Other implementations may have other configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the extendable portion is extendable and retractable in a vertical direction. In this implementation, the extendable portion is extended and retracted by rotating the extendable portion with respect to fixed rod portion. More specifically, the extendable portion is threaded along its length is inserted into a threaded opening at the end of the fixed rod portion. Thus, rotation of extendable portion causes the threads of the extendable portion to engage the threads of the opening in the end of the fixed rod portion and increase/decrease the total length of the combined fixed rod portion and the extendable portion.

Though the extendable portion illustrated in the implementation of FIG. 1 is threaded to extend and retract by rotation with respect to the fixed end portion, implementations of the present application are not limited to this configuration. For example in another implementation illustrated in FIG. 2, the extendable portion may include a ratchet mechanism configured to linearly extend and/or retract the length of the extendable portion. The ratchet mechanism may include a handle member that engages a portion of the extendable portion to extend and/or retract the extendable portion. More specifically, in one implementation, the handle member may include a fixed portion and a moveable portion, which moves relative to the fixed portion. As the moveable portion is moved relative to the fixed portion, an end of the moveable portion engages the extendable portion and moves the extendable portion linearly relative to a stationary end of the fixed rod portion.

An engagement mechanism is fixed within the fixed rod portion at the stationary end thereof. The engagement mechanism is configured to facilitate the engagement between the moveable portion of the ratchet mechanism and the extendable portion and maintain the extendable portion in an extended or retracted position based on the manipulation of the handle member. An opening in the side wall of the fixed rod member may be provided to allow the engagement mechanism to be accessed. Additionally, the ratchet mechanism may also include a biasing member to provide a tension force to a portion of the engaging member to maintain longitudinal force along the length of the extendable portion.

Implementations of the ratchet mechanism are not limited to this configuration and may have other configurations as may be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the ratchet mechanism may alternatively involve a screw mechanism that allows the extendable portion to be extended or retracted by rotation around a linear axis of storage rack. Alternatively, the ratchet mechanism may include a rack and pinion mechanism that allows the extendable portion to be extended or retracted though rotation of a pinion gear. Further, in some implementations, the ratchet mechanism may be hydraulically or pneumatically assisted to reduce the force required to extend or retract the extendable portion.

In some implementations, the ratchet mechanism may be non-removably coupled to the extendable potion or the fixed rod portion. In other implementations, the ratchet mechanism, or parts thereof, may be removable from storage rack. In implementations having a handle member as discussed above, one or both of the moveable portion and the fixed portion may be removable. In such implementations, the engagement mechanism may remain fixed within the fixed rod portion after one or both of the moveable portion and the fixed portion of the handle member are removed. Further, in implementations having a removable ratchet mechanism, the extendable portion may retain an extend position after the removable ratchet mechanism has been removed. Additionally, in implementations with a removable ratchet mechanism, a single ratchet mechanism may be used with multiple storage racks as part of multi-rack storage system.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an implementation of the storage rack may also include a floor engaging portion disposed at one end of the storage rack and configured to engage the floor or a lower surface beneath the storage rack. In some implementations, the floor engaging portion may include an end surface configured to provide a friction force between the storage rack and the floor. Additionally, in some implementations such as the implementation illustrated in FIG. 2, the floor engaging portion may also include an elastic member to reduce wear and stresses applied to the floor by the downward force of the storage rack. For example, an implementation may have a floor engaging portion, which includes a foam rubber portion configured to provide a friction force with respect to the floor surface without scratching or damaging the floor surface. An implementation of the present application is not limited to this configuration and may have alternative configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Additionally, the floor engaging portion may also include a pivoting piece configured to allow the end surface of the floor engaging portion to pivot, rotate, or be angled relative to a linear axis of the storage rack as shown in the implementation illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the end surface of the floor engaging portion may be connected to the storage rack via a ball-joint connection such that the end surface of the floor engaging portion may be angled with respect to the linear axis of the storage rack. Such a configuration may allow the end surface of floor engaging portion to engage a floor, or other surface that is not completely flat, horizontal or level (i.e. which is angled either intentionally, or due to construction errors). An implementation of the present application is not limited to a ball-joint configuration, and may have other configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As also illustrated in FIG. 1, an implementation of the storage rack may also include a ceiling engaging portion disposed at one end of the storage rack and configured to engage the ceiling or an upper surface above the storage rack. In some implementations such as the implementation illustrated in FIG. 3, the ceiling engaging portion may include an end surface configured to provide a friction force between the storage rack and the ceiling. Additionally, in some implementations, the ceiling engaging portion may also include an elastic member to reduce wear and stresses applied to the ceiling by the upward force of the storage rack. For example, an implementation may have a ceiling engaging portion, which includes a foam rubber portion configured to provide a friction force with respect to the ceiling surface without scratching or damaging the ceiling surface. An implementation of the present application is not limited to this configuration and may have alternative configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Additionally, the ceiling engaging portion may also include a pivoting piece configured to allow the end surface of the ceiling engaging portion to pivot, rotate, or be angled relative to a linear axis of the storage rack as shown in the implementation illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the end surface of the ceiling engaging portion may be connected to the storage rack via a ball-joint connection such that the end surface of the ceiling engaging portion may be angled with respect to the linear axis of the storage rack. Such a configuration may allow the end surface of ceiling engaging portion to engage a ceiling, or other surface that is not completely flat, horizontal or level (i.e. which is angled either intentionally, or due to construction errors). An implementation of the present application is not limited to a ball-joint configuration, and may have other configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a plurality of support portions attached to the fixed rod portion of the storage rack. In the implementation of FIG. 1, each of the support portions is formed by a pair of support bars extending substantially perpendicular to the fixed rod portion. Implementations of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may include other configurations including more or less than two bars extending from the fixed rod portion, configurations having bars that are angled with respect to the fixed rod portion, or any other configuration as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, in one implementation the bars may be angled to slope away from the fixed rod portion.

Additionally, as illustrated the support bars are formed from tubular steel members having a square cross-section. In other implementations, the support bars may be formed from other materials such as aluminum, resin materials, or other materials as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the support bars may formed from solid members and are not limited to having a square cross-section, but may instead be formed to have any cross-section shape that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Additionally, in some implementations a foam rubber or elastic material may be applied to the outer surface of the support bars to reduce scratching of surfaces contacting the support members. Other materials that may reduce scratching may be substituted for the foam rubber or elastic material as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In some implementations, a retaining member may be provided at the end of the support bars to prevent supported items from sliding off of the end of the support bars. For example, a hook member may be provided at the end of the support bars to prevent supported items from sliding off of the end of the support bars as illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 Other implementations may include a retaining member having other configurations that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the plurality of support members are attached to the fixed rod portion. In some implementations, the plurality of support members may be positioned at any one of a variety of positions along the length of the fixed rod portion. For example, in some implementations, the support members may be attached to the fixed rod member by alignment with one or more of a plurality holes or indentations formed in the fixed rod member and insertion of a retaining member into the one or more holes or indentations. In other implementations, such as the implementation shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support member may be attached to the fixed rod member by a friction fitting that may be tightened to cause a retaining member to frictionally engage a surface of the fixed rod portion to secure each of the plurality of support members in a user selected position. An implementation of the present application is not limited to these configurations, and may have other configurations as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

A plurality of storage racks according to any of the above discussed implementations may be combined to form a storage system. Such a storage system may also include linear shelf members that can be placed on support portions of adjacent storage racks to form an extended shelving unit. Further, in some implementations, adjacent storage racks may be placed at different points in a room which have variations in floor or ceiling heights and the placement of the support portions along the length of the respective storage racks adjusted to produce a self-leveled shelf compensating for the variations in floor or ceiling height. For example, a support member may be positioned to several inches higher or lower on adjacent storage racks to compensate for a several inch step down in a room to produce a self-leveled shelf running between the adjacent storage racks.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are therefore representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is further understood that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly not limited. 

1. A storage rack comprising: a fixed rod portion; an extendable portion linearly aligned with the fixed rod portion; and at least one support portion configured to removably attach to the fixed rod portion and provide a supported storage area along the length of the storage rack.
 2. The storage rack of claim 1, wherein the extendable portion comprises a threaded portion that engages a threaded opening formed at an end of the fixed rod portion.
 3. The storage rack of claim 1, wherein the extendable portion includes a ratchet mechanism configured to extend and/or retract the extendable portion.
 4. The storage rack of claim 3, wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a removable portion configured to be removed from the extendable portion and allow the extendable portion to retain an extended position.
 5. The storage rack of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a floor engaging member disposed at a lower end of the storage rack and a ceiling engaging member disposed at an upper end of the storage rack.
 6. The storage rack of claim 5, wherein the at least one of a floor engaging member and a ceiling engaging member further comprises a pivot piece configured to allow an end surface to pivot relative to a linear axis of the storage rack.
 7. A storage system comprising: a first storage rack comprising: a first fixed rod portion; an first extendable portion linearly aligned with the first fixed rod portion; and at least one first support portion configured to removably attach to the first fixed rod portion and provide a first supported storage area along the length of the first storage rack; a second storage rack comprising: a second fixed rod portion; a second extendable portion linearly aligned with the second fixed rod portion; and at least one second support portion configured to removably attach to the second fixed rod portion and provide a second supported storage area along the length of the second storage rack; and a shelf member configured to extend between the first supported storage area and the second supported storage area.
 8. The storage system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the first extendable portion and the second extendable portion includes a ratchet mechanism configured to extend and/or retract the at least one of the first extendable portion and the second extendable portion, wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a removable portion configured to be removed from the at least one of the first extendable portion and the second extendable portion and allow the at least one of the first extendable portion and the second extendable portion to retain an extended position. 